Opus Dei...

[flip]

so, ive been asking about Opus Dei. It seems like the ideas are good, but most people tell me it's a cult.

i found this website : [url="http://www.odan.org/"]http://www.odan.org/[/url]

it explains the Opus Dei movement and problems of its former members..

what are peoples thoughts on this? i think that most people here are hardcore conservative, and usually conservatives love opus dei. what about yall?

[cmotherofpirl]

From what I have seen OD is an excellent program. However you can find a few bad apples in every barrel. :angry:

[flip]

does the prgram really teach self mortification? is self mortification (like stabbing myself or making myself bleed) a good thing?


cause the only people i know who do that are in psych wards, because something is wrong with them in the head...

or is it ok "if you are doing it for Christ". cause i dont remember Christ hurting himself, the ROmans did that...

[Aloysius]

self-mortification is different than masochism.

the three fatima children tied a rope tight around their wastes in reparation for sin.

st. francis froze himself in ice and let it melt to avoid sexual sin.

it has nothing to do with a psychological disorder.

it should only be done under the supervision of a confessor or spiritual director. it's not for everyone, and it should never cause lasting damage to your body.

[Oik]

The founder of opus dei is a saint. Opus dei is a personal prelature of the Church (think of them as the new jesuits). Odan.org seeks to do what most anti- sites do, which is perpetuate hate for the Catholic Church.

What is important is that we embrace our brothers and sisters who have had bad experiences with the faith. However, as Catholics, we need to stress the unchanging Truth of Christ and there is not room for death, destruction, and hate in this Truth.

[quote]Corporal mortification is regularly practiced in Opus Dei. It is perhaps one of the most startling aspects of Opus Dei life for people outside the group. Many of the practices of corporal mortification were at one time more regularly practiced within the Church; [b]however, due to modern psychology and thinking, the practices which inflict pain are sometimes considered to be counterproductive to one's spiritual development, as they can easily lead to pride and an unhealthy attitude toward one's body[/b].[/quote] This alone shows a misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the Church. The effort of modernism is to reform the spirituality of the Church. Several holy saints practiced mortification. While it is to be used cautiously and rarely and within the context of specific spiritual level, it is not outdated as odan would report.[quote]Cold Showers : Most numeraries take cold showers every day and offer it up for the intentions of the current Prelate.
Meals : Numeraries generally practice one small corporal mortification at every meal, such as drinking coffee without milk or sugar, not buttering one's toast, skipping dessert, not taking seconds, etc. For the most part, eating between meals is not practiced. Opus Dei members fast on the Church's prescribed days for fasting, but otherwise must ask for permission to fast on their own.[/quote] Odan continues to critisize on thier site and decribe thier idea of holiness and sanctity.
[quote]in fact Opus Dei itself often discourages its new members from even telling their families about their decision![/quote] So should they go out and brag to thier friends, Hey, look at the new catholic club I joined. We are Holy! Yeah! One of the characteristics of Opus Dei is to live a holy life where you are at, a humble life. This is hard as it is. Broadcasting your intent to be pious isn't exactly a compatible idea with humility.[quote]Escriva defended Adolf Hitler. He told Father Feltzman that "Hitler had been unjustly accused of killing 6 million Jews." "In fact he had killed only 4 million.[/quote] I see that Saint Jose Maria Escriva is now being inferred to as a Nazi.

Odan's essential argument breaks down into the accusation that Opus Dei is tied into some international plot by the Vatican to overthrow "real" catholics. It asserts that the Vatican, along with higher uo officials and JPII are involved in cover ups and lies and the push to rush Saint Escriva's cannonization.

Odan's site is half spectulation and half cited sources. I haven't checked into the sources, but I do discredit Odan on it's account of misrepresentation of the Church. I will say this much, Da Vinci Code and sites like Odan introduced me to Opus Dei and it makes me want to join one day.

[Oik]

[quote]i think that most people here are hardcore conservative[/quote] Flip, my brother, listen to the Cardinal.“The faith is neither liberal nor conservative, the faith is true.” Francis Cardinal George

[Oik]

Here's a good link on [url="http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0%2C%2CPTID5339|CHID14|CIID1406576%2C00.html"]Catholic Action[/url].

[ironmonk]

[quote name='flip' date='Aug 31 2004, 08:24 PM'] so, ive been asking about Opus Dei. It seems like the ideas are good, but most people tell me it's a cult.

i found this website : [url="http://www.odan.org/"]http://www.odan.org/[/url]

it explains the Opus Dei movement and problems of its former members..

what are peoples thoughts on this? i think that most people here are hardcore conservative, and usually conservatives love opus dei. what about yall? [/quote]
I've researched Odan.org... It's wrong.

I believe I posted that research here, but it might have been on the old snitz board.

ODAN has the type of lies that are typically found at www.ianpaisley.org

Opus Dei, is not no secret society... it is a very good and faithful organization for Catholics.

God Bless,
ironmonk

[ironmonk]

Here is what I found...

[url="http://phorum.phatmass.com/index.php?showtopic=2591"]http://phorum.phatmass.com/index.php?showtopic=2591[/url]


[quote]
  Posted: Oct 16 2003, 05:51 PM
Will the real Opus Dei, please stand up:

[url="http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&s=307"]http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&s=307[/url]


I think the odan is bunk... I think they are trying to paint a bad pic of something good. Maybe there were a few bad members but the fact is the group is awesome.

There are stories floating around just like Charolette's from pastor ed, that trash organizations within the Church.

These people tried to keep him from being Canonized because they didn't want Opus Dei to be promoted!

Sounds like odan has a lot to learn about Catholicism. Also, this could be one person putting on a show...


---

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. It was founded in Madrid on October 2, 1928, by St. Josemaría Escrivá. Currently over 80,000 people from every continent belong to the prelature. Its headquarters, together with its prelatic church, are in Rome.


The Second Vatican Council taught that all the baptized are called to follow Jesus Christ, by living according to the Gospel and making it known to others. The aim of Opus Dei is to contribute to that evangelizing mission of the Church. Opus Dei encourages Christians of all social classes to live consistently with their faith, in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives, especially through the sanctification of their work.

In order to fulfill this mission, the prelature offers spiritual formation and pastoral care to its members, as well as to many others. With the help of this pastoral attention they are encouraged to put the teachings of the Gospel into practice, through exercising the Christian virtues and sanctifying their work.

For the faithful of the prelature, sanctifying work means working according to the spirit of Jesus Christ: with the greatest possible competence, for the glory of God and the service of others, thus contributing to the sanctification of the world, by making the Gospel present in all human endeavours.

The faithful of the prelature carry out their individual task of evangelization in the various sectors of society in which they live and work. Their apostolic work is not limited to specific fields such as education, care for the sick, or other forms of direct social aid. The prelature seeks to remind people that all Christians, whatever their background or situation, must cooperate in solving the problems of society in a Christian way, and bear constant witness to their faith.


Spirit of Opus Dei
Since it was founded in 1928, Opus Dei has spread the message that all the baptized are called to holiness, through the fulfillment of their work and their daily duties.


“An essential characteristic of the spirit of Opus Dei is that it does not take anyone out of his place. Rather it leads each person to fulfill the tasks and duties of his own state, of his mission in the Church and in society, with the greatest possible perfection.”

Opus Dei, with its essentially secular spirit, serves the Church and society by fostering individual holiness and apostolic commitment among the Christian faithful, helping them to discover and take on the demands of their baptismal vocation in the specific place they occupy in the world.

The following are some of the main features of the spirit of Opus Dei:

Divine filiation
Ordinary life
Sanctifying work
Love for freedom
Prayer and sacrifice
Charity and apostolate
Unity of life

Divine filiation
The Christian is a child of God by virtue of baptism. This basic truth of Christianity occupies a fundamental place within the spirit of Opus Dei. As the founder said: “Divine filiation is the foundation of the spirit of Opus Dei.” Thus the formation provided by the prelature gives Christians a deep awareness that they are children of God, and helps them act accordingly. It fosters confidence in divine providence, simplicity in their dialogue with God, a deeper awareness of the dignity of each human being and of the need for fraternity among all people, a truly Christian love for the world and for all human realities created by God, and a sense of calm and optimism.

Ordinary life


The ordinary Christian can seek holiness in and through the ordinary circumstances of life. In the words of the founder of Opus Dei: “Ordinary life can be holy and full of God … Our Lord is calling us to sanctify the ordinary tasks of every day, for the perfection of the Christian is to be found precisely there.” Therefore all virtues are important for a Christian: faith, hope and charity, and the human virtues – generosity, industriousness, justice, loyalty, cheerfulness, sincerity, and so on. In practising these virtues, a Christian imitates Jesus Christ.

Another consequence of the sanctifying value of ordinary life is that the little things that fill the life of an ordinary Christian take on great importance. “Great holiness consists in carrying out the little duties of each moment”, wrote the founder of Opus Dei. Examples of such little things include small acts of service, good manners, respect for others, tidiness, punctuality, etc. These little things are not irrelevant to Christian life if they are carried out for the love of God.

For the majority of Christians, marriage and the family are among the things upon which sanctity should be built, and should thus be given a Christian dimension. “For a Christian, marriage is not just a social institution, much less a mere remedy for human weakness. It is a supernatural calling.”

Sanctifying work
The sanctification of ordinary work is like a hinge on which the whole spiritual life of the ordinary Christian turns. Sanctifying work means carrying it out with the greatest possible human perfection (professional competence) and Christian perfection (for love of God and as a service to humanity).

According to the spirit of Opus Dei, work – the activity one carries out in the world – can be sanctified and turned into a path of sanctification. “Since Christ took it into his hands, work has become for us a redeemed and redemptive reality; not only is it the background of man’s life, it is a means and a path of holiness – it is something to be sanctified and something which sanctifies.” Any honest job, from the most important to the humblest in human terms, can be an occasion for giving glory to God and for serving others.

“It is we … ordinary Christians immersed in the blood-stream of society, whom Our Lord wants to be saints and apostles, in the very midst of our ordinary work; that is, sanctifying our job in life, sanctifying ourselves in it, and through it helping others to sanctify themselves as well.”

Freedom
The members of Opus Dei are ordinary citizens who enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same obligations as any other citizen. In their political, financial or cultural activities, they act with freedom and personal responsibility, not attempting to involve the Church or Opus Dei in their decisions, nor presenting their decisions as the only Catholic solutions. This implies respecting the freedom and the opinions of others.

Prayer and sacrifice
The spirit of Opus Dei encourages prayer and sacrifice in order to sustain the effort to sanctify one’s ordinary occupations. Thus the faithful of the prelature strive to incorporate into their lives certain practices of Christian piety, such as prayer, daily Mass, sacramental confession, and reading and meditating on the Gospel. Devotion to Our Lady occupies an important place in their hearts. Also, to imitate Jesus Christ, they make sacrifices, particularly those that help them fulfill their duties faithfully and make life more pleasant for others, as well as fasting, almsgiving, renouncing small pleasures, etc.

Charity and apostolate


The members of Opus Dei try to bear witness to their Christian faith. In the words of the founder: “As we work at our job, side by side with our colleagues, friends and relatives and share their interests, we can help them come closer to Christ.” This must be done, first of all, by personal example, and then by words. Eagerness to make Christ known is inseparable from the desire to contribute to resolving the material needs and social problems of one’s surroundings.

Unity of life
Friendship with God, ordinary day-to-day life, and the effort to evangelize are all harmoniously fused into a “strong and simple unity of life.” “Unity of life” was an expression frequently used by the founder of Opus Dei, and sums up his deep understanding of Christian life.

He defined it as “an essential condition for those who are trying to sanctify themselves in the midst of the ordinary situations of their work and of their family and social relationships.” St. Josemaría explained that Christians working in the world should not live “a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life.” “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.”


-----


Historical overview
1928. On October 2, while on a spiritual retreat in Madrid, St. Josemaría Escrivá, under divine inspiration, founded Opus Dei as a way of sanctification for people from all walks of life, in their daily work and the fulfilment of their ordinary duties as Christians. The name “Opus Dei” came later and was not used until the early 1930’s. However, from the outset, in his writings and conversations about what God was asking of him, he would talk of the Work of God.



1930. On February 14 in Madrid, while celebrating Mass, St. Josemaría saw that God meant Opus Dei to include women as well as men.

1933. The first center of Opus Dei was opened in Madrid: the DYA Academy, mainly for students, where classes in law and architecture were given.

1934. DYA became a residence for college students. From that base the founder and the first members offered Christian formation, and spread the message of Opus Dei among young people. An important aspect of this work was the teaching of the Catholic faith to children, and looking after the poor and sick in the outlying neighbourhoods of Madrid. Fr. Josemaría made his activity known at all times to the bishop of Madrid, who from the very beginning granted his approval and blessing. Consideraciones espirituales, the forerunner of The Way, was published.

1936. The Spanish Civil War: religious persecution was unleashed and Fr. Josemaría was obliged to hide in various different places. This interruption of his apostolic work temporarily delayed the plans of the founder to expand the apostolic work of Opus Dei to other countries.

1937. The founder and some members of Opus Dei completed a harrowing escape over the Pyrenees through Andorra and made their way to an area where the Church was not being persecuted (Burgos).

1938. Renewal of apostolic work in Burgos, Spain.

1939. Fr. Josemaría returned to Madrid. Expansion of Opus Dei to other Spanish cities. The beginning of World War II prevented expansion to other countries.

1941. On March 19, the bishop of Madrid, Leopoldo Eijo y Garay, granted the first diocesan approval of Opus Dei.



1943. On February 14, again during Mass, God let Fr. Josemaría see the juridical solution that would enable priests to be ordained for Opus Dei: the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.

1944. On June 25, the bishop of Madrid ordained three members of Opus Dei as priests: Alvaro del Portillo, José María Hernández de Garnica, and José Luis Múzquiz.

1946. The founder of Opus Dei moved to Rome. In the years that followed, he would travel from Rome throughout Europe to prepare the beginnings of the work of Opus Dei in several different countries.

1947. On February 24, the Holy See granted the first pontifical approval.

1948. On June 29, the founder established the Roman College of the Holy Cross, where from that time on, numerous members of Opus Dei would study and receive a deep spiritual and pastoral formation, while taking courses at various pontifical teaching establishments in Rome.

1950. On June 16, Pius XII granted the definitive approval to Opus Dei. This approval enabled married people to join Opus Dei, and secular clergy to be admitted to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.

1952. The University of Navarre was begun at Pamplona, Spain.

1953. On December 12, the Roman College of Our Lady was established to provide an intense spiritual, theological and apostolic formation for women of Opus Dei from all over the world.



1957. The Holy See entrusted the prelature of Yauyos, a mountainous region of Peru, to Opus Dei.

1965. On November 21, Paul VI inaugurated the ELIS Center, a vocational training center for young people located in an industrial sector of Rome, together with a parish entrusted to Opus Dei by the Holy See.

1969. A special general congress of Opus Dei met in Rome to study the change of Opus Dei’s legal status in the Church to that of a personal prelature, a juridical structure introduced by the Second Vatican Council and ideally suited to the pastoral characteristics of Opus Dei.

1970. The founder of Opus Dei travelled to Mexico. He prayed for nine days at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and addressed large groups of people on topics affecting their Christian life. This was the first of what he called his catechetical journeys.

1972. Msgr. Josemaría Escrivá traveled throughout Spain and Portugal on a catechetical journey lasting two months.

1974. Catechetical journey of the founder to six South American countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.

1975. Catechetical journey of the founder to Venezuela and Guatemala.

1976.

On June 26, Josemaría Escrivá died in Rome. Some 60,000 people belonged to Opus Dei at that time.


March 19, 1983 at S. Eugenio's Church

On July 7, the new shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad was inaugurated in Huesca, Spain.

On September 15, Alvaro del Portillo was elected to succeed the founder at a congress of Opus Dei members called for that purpose, as required by canon law.

1982. On November 28, John Paul II established Opus Dei as a personal prelature, a juridical structure more accurately reflecting Opus Dei’s theological and pastoral nature, and appointed Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo as prelate.

1983. On March 19, the apostolic constitution establishing Opus Dei as a personal prelature was formally executed.

1985. Inauguration of the Roman Academic Centre of the Holy Cross, which in 1998 would become the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

1991. On January 6, John Paul II ordained Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo as bishop.

1992. On May 17, the Holy Father beatified Josemaría Escrivá in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

1994.

On March 23, Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in Rome died hours after his return from a trip to the Holy Land.

On April 20, Msgr. Javier Echevarría was appointed as prelate of Opus Dei by John Paul II, confirming the election carried out by the general elective congress held in Rome.

1995. On January 6, Msgr. Javier Echevarría was ordained bishop by John Paul II.

2002. On October 6, St. Josemaría Escrivá was canonized in St. Peter's Square by Pope John Paul II.


----


God Bless, Your Servant in Christ
ironmonk [/quote]



[quote]

Posted: Oct 16 2003, 06:03 PM

Here is the info on who runs it...
We see that it's using Road Runner, this could be run out of someone's house.

The below affirms my theory of bunkness on the site.

There are emails listed  hmmmm.

This looks familar... jack chick, ian paisley, pastor ed rice....
BUNK BUNK BUNK from odan.org:
Members are often discouraged from telling their parents of their lifetime commitment to Opus Dei "because they will not understand."
The display of pictures of loved ones is discouraged, not by rule but by subtle example.
Some members have been told that if they leave Opus Dei, they may be damned and will surely live life without God's grace.



odan.org


Registrant:
Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. (ODAN-DOM)
267 Holmes Rd, PO Box 4333
Pittsfield, MA 01202-4333
US

Domain Name: ODAN.ORG

Administrative Contact:
Bathrick, Michael (MB688) prez@BERKSHIRE.NET
150 North St., Suite 23
Pittsfield, MA 01201
US
(413) 442-7805 fax: 123 123 1234
Technical Contact:
Hatch, Jason (JH304) zone@BERKSHIRE.NET
BerkshireNet, Inc.
126 Fenn St.
PITTSFIELD, MA 01201-6234
US
(413) 442-7805 fax: (413) 442-7909

Record expires on 29-Mar-2012.
Record created on 18-Oct-2002.
Database last updated on 16-Oct-2003 16:55:30 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.BIZ.RR.COM 24.30.200.19
NS2.BIZ.RR.COM 24.30.201.19


------------------------------


God Bless, Your Servant in Christ,
ironmonk
[/quote]


God Bless,
ironmonk

Edited September 1, 2004 by ironmonk

[Iacobus]

There was a topic about this in Q&A a few months back. I shall see if I can dig it up for you.

[Iacobus]

[url="http://phorum.phatmass.com/index.php?showtopic=9869&view=findpost&p=154693"]http://phorum.phatmass.com/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=154693[/url]

[Aloysius]

a good self-mortification penance would be if you have a headache, don't take any advil but ride it out and offer up your suffering.

if we get comfortable always avoiding any type of suffering, we miss the suffering that makes us stronger.

[Cam42]

As a supernumerary, I can tell you that there is nothing, nothing wrong with the Work.

The Work does more good than one can know......ODAN is a crock and a lie....so is The DaVinci Code, btw....

Cam42

[Ash Wednesday]

I have heard of people having both good and bad experiences with Opus Dei. I think it's probably a great organization for many to be involved in, but not suited for everyone.

[MagiDragon]

lol, as this thread was started i was on my way to an Opus Dei circle.

Opus Dei is incredible, it helps you to ferret out the weaknesses in your spiritual life and make them stronger, and at the same time you get good advice for life in general.

I would really recommend Opus Dei for anyone who is well-grounded in their faith, but wants to go deeper, or anyone who wants to become a saint . . . Yes, I know, I just included *any* good Catholic, but I think it's a good enough group that those are the people i would recommend it to.

The really unfortunate thing is that they aren't available everywhere yet.

Peace,
Joe